NOTES AND QUOTES
Mark Martin has never looked forward to racing at Talladega Superspeedway, but he and the team are
optimistic about this weekend's race. They are taking their best restrictor-plate car, JR-59, which has been
very successful throughout the past year. The team is also looking to continue their streak of top-10 finishes.
Martin has posted three consecutive top-10 finishes since Kansas, including his most recent seventh place
finish at Martinsville on Monday.

"We had one of the best runs we've had in a long time at Martinsville," Martin said. "That is a track we struggle
at a lot and to run up front there really felt good. Talladega is another tough track for us, but not for the same reasons as Martinsville. At Martinsville, your car has to be good to be competitive. At Talladega, luck plays a
big factor in the outcome of the race. You don't need the best car to win, you just need to avoid the big wreck
that is bound to happen with that many cars racing so close together."

Martin and the Viagra( team had a strong run at Talladega in April with a fourth place finish. Martin led the
race with 42 laps to go. He was fifth with eight laps to go and came across the finish line four-wide on the final
lap, which gave him his first top-five finish of the season.

"We had a great race in the spring," Martin said. "If the drivers can use their heads and have a nice safe race again, then I think our chances of doing well are pretty good. It wouldn't break my heart to not have these four restrictor-plate races every year, but as long as they are on the schedule we have to make the best of each
one. We're gaining on the top 10 in points every week, so we can't give up now with only six races to go."